Tuesday, August 23, 2011

This book blew me away. It is both enlightening and emotionally engaging. The story follows Roger Wood the Police Officer in charge at Kinglake on that fateful day, his courage and dedication is a total inspiration. The strong sense of community and the courage of Wood and many others shine through in what is a heartbreaking and compelling account of the terror that they faced. It has the narrative drive of good fiction but also the research and detail to vividly inform us of the nature of the Black Saturday fires and the relationship between fire and the Australian landscape. This is a not a finger pointing exercise like so many other things that I have seen written about that day, it is the real face to face experience of the people on the frontline. Highly recommended.

Michelle

*If you buy any book by Text Publishing for the next little while at the Sun Bookshop you will go in the draw to win $150 worth of Text books!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Well, what a great start to the week I had an excellent lunch at Cumulus yesterday thanks to the lovely Hachette folk. An incredible meal with US crime writer John Hart, who has a new book Iron House just in stores at a great price. Our lunch was a bit like a John Hart crime novel a range of surprises arriving to keep us interested, and just when you thought it was all over wham here comes the main course. Of course we were all left feeling very satisfied. Quite excited about National Bookshop day I am thinking a Greek Theme for our snacks at the Kerry Greenwood launch of Medea. We now officially have a lot of events coming up. Andy Griffiths Launch,William McInnes and Sarah Watt Launch, Sam DeBrito visit,Barry Hall with Karaoke? Another Kerry Greenwood Launch and Kaz Cooke. Well keep checking the website for dates times etc.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Well goodness me what about England very scary and not to make light of it maybe less TV and more reading could help. I have been reading up a storm and have no inclination to riot. Finally read One Day ,some of it is set in Hackney, (enjoyed it a lot) and I was reading it in the flipback edition which was a very fine experience didn’t feel any different except for the lack of weight in my bag this has to be a good way to go. Okay so we have been going a little mad at the shop this week organising National Bookshop day events it is suddenly only 1 week away but just confirmed is the Wests own William McInnis reading a few stories for little ones at 10.00am yeh! Another Westie Kerry Greenwood is relaunching her Delphic Women Series starting with Medea at 1pm double Yeh! We have prizes from Text and Hachette Childrens and other fun stuff too.
I don’t want to make you all too jealous but I am reading Jeffrey Euginedes newest book (out soon) The Marriage Plot. I love it. Calling Yarraville readers of this blog if you are out there and would like to review a book for us I have 1 copy of The Ridge by Michael Koryta and 1 of Megan Delahunt’s new book To the Island so the first 2 people into the shop on Friday 12th of August ,that’s tomorrow, can WIN!